Welcome back for the final installment of our Remington 550-1 exploration! We’ve covered the history, variations, dating, and technical specifications of this versatile .22 rimfire. Today, we’re putting theory into practice with actual range time to see how this 75+ year old design performs when the rubber meets the road.
Curious Relics Coverage on AllOutdoor:
Welcome to our recurring series of “Curious Relics.” Here, we want to share all of our experiences, knowledge, misadventures, and passion for older firearms that one might categorize as a Curio & Relic – any firearm that is at least 50 years old according to the ATF. Hopefully along the way you can garner a greater appreciation for older firearms like we do, and simultaneously you can teach us things as well through sharing your own expertise and thoughts in the Comments. Understanding the firearms of old, their importance, and their development which lead to many of the arms we now cherish today is incredibly fascinating and we hope you enjoy what we have to share, too!
Range Time: Remington 550-1
Taking my grandfather’s 550-1 to the range was a practical evaluation and a sort of personal mission. This rifle had been in pieces for a decade or two, so I wasn’t sure what to expect from a 75-year-old mechanism that hadn’t seen regular use in years. The rifle proved smooth and reliable right from the first shot. I tested a variety of .22 LR ammunition, and every single round cycled without issue. No jams, no mishaps, just consistent function shot after shot. The floating chamber system worked exactly as advertised, handling everything I fed it with mechanical precision.
I also ran quite a few .22 Shorts through it to test the floating chamber’s famous multi-cartridge capability. My grandfather always bragged about how many .22 Shorts this tube could hold – turns out he wasn’t exaggerating. I never counted exactly, but I was always told it holds 22 rounds of .22 Short, and from loading it up, that seems about right. The rifle cycled every single Short without hesitation, proving the system’s versatility isn’t just marketing hype one bunny fart at a time. I thought I had some .22 Longs on hand for a complete test, but I must have misplaced them, so no dice there. Still, the performance with Shorts and Long Rifle was enough to demonstrate the floating chamber’s effectiveness.
For accuracy testing, I used Remington New Standard V ammunition that they sent over – thank you, Remington. Shooting from a bag at 25 yards, I managed about a 3-inch group with a full magazine. My POI was running higher than my POA, but the group stayed consistent, which tells me the rifle’s mechanical accuracy is solid and the issue is just sight adjustment.
The rifle’s operation is refreshingly simple and intuitive. There’s not a lot going on with it, so loading, charging the handle, and taking it off safe is a breeze. Everything falls naturally into your hands without having to think about it. The trigger has a bit of squish to it, but the reset is nice and tactile.
I did notice one quirk when loading that truck load of .22 Shorts into the tube. Reinserting the magazine assembly was a bit tricky – I could feel it get caught on every rim all the way down. It’s not a major issue, just something to be aware of when loading to capacity.
The rifle balances and shoulders very nicely, though it is a bit front-heavy due to that 24-inch barrel. Not enough to be a detriment, but you definitely notice the weight distribution. For extended shooting sessions, this might become more apparent, but for typical range use or hunting applications, it’s perfectly manageable.
One thing I kept thinking about during the range session was how that small ejection port and prominent brass deflector might complicate malfunction clearance if something did go wrong. Luckily, this wasn’t an issue since the rifle ran flawlessly, but if it ever got super dirty and started having extraction problems, that tight ejection area could make things interesting.
The brass deflector itself works exactly as designed, sending empties out to the right in a consistent pattern. It’s an oddly shaped piece compared to modern designs, but it does its job effectively without any brass coming back at the shooter.
Final Thoughts: Remington 550-1
After spending time with the 550-1 on the range, I love this rifle. It’s everything good about American firearms manufacturing from this era – solid construction, reliable function, and smart engineering that solves real problems. The floating chamber system isn’t just a novelty. When shooters needed to shoot whatever .22 rimfire they could find, ammo wasn’t always guaranteed, especially in rural areas. A rifle that could cycle any .22 rimfire cartridge you found at the local store? That mattered.
What gets me is how simple the rifle looks while being cleverly engineered inside. The controls make sense, the operation is straightforward, and everything works. Shame rifles like this aren’t made anymore. This 550-1 connects me to both firearms history and family history. Every time I shoulder it, I think of my grandfather and when this rifle was new.
Most importantly, it’s still fun to shoot. The rifle does everything it was designed to do with the same reliability and accuracy it had decades ago. I highly recommend it if you can find one.
In closing, I hope our Curious Relics segment informed as well as entertained. This all was written in hopes of continued firearm appreciation and preservation. We did not just realize how guns were supposed to look and function. It was a long and tedious process that has shaped the world we live in. So, I put it to you! Is there a firearm out there that you feel does not get much notoriety? What should our next Curious Relics topic cover? As always, let us know all of your thoughts in the Comments below! We always appreciate your feedback.
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